GB: Toxic
by WayWardWonderer
Summary: Dr. Peter Venkman risks his life to stop a poisonous attack by an angry ghost at a chemical facility. Dr. Egon Spengler, Dr. Ray Stantz and Winston Zeddemore can only watch and wait as their friend fights to stop the poison before it spreads over the city and hurts innocent people. But Peter's own life is on the line as he refuses to walk away from the dangerous situation.


An isolated facility that had been used to store hazardous chemicals, dangerous machinery and toxic substances had become the target of a paranormal infestation of a very dangerous variety. Poltergeists had begun unlocking doors, unsealing cabinets, causing power outages and machine failures throughout the facility making the already stressed staff teeter on the edge between sanity and insanity.

Reaching the end of their proverbial rope the staff had reluctantly called in for assistance. They had called the Ghostbusters to come out to the facility and put an end to the madness before chaos reigned supreme, or tragedy befell the the staff.

"This won't be easy." Dr. Egon Spengler explained as Ecto-1 pulled through the recently unlocked front gate at the end of the drive. "Much of the facility requires high levels of clearance to access and the numerous items contained within are potentially unstable and confirmed to be delicate. We cannot open fire in close proximity of the-"

Dr. Peter Venkman accidentally interjected with a sleepy yawn from the backseat of the hearse. "...Sorry Spengz. Please continue."

"Please take this seriously." Egon scolded from the front seat. He turned around and glared at the laidback psychologist with disapproval. "This could very well be life and death."

"ALL of our busts are life and death," Peter quipped dryly and without even a hint of worry to his voice. "that's kind of the point. We're the living taking care of the dead."

Egon turned back around in his seat and stared out the windshield annoyed by Peter's lack of appreciations for the severity of the situation, and his lingering immaturity.

Winston Zeddemore, who was riding in the backseat next to Peter, nudged the psychologist in the ribs with his elbow and whispered. "Come on man, take this seriously. The only time I see Egon so focused is-"

"All the time?" Peter shot Winston a childish smile. "The man should know by now that these kinds of situations are always exaggerated by panicky witnesses."

"Not always."

Peter didn't respond but he did shrug his shoulders indifferently.

As Dr. Raymond "Ray" Stantz drove Ecto-1 up to the front of the facility the hearse was immediately swarmed by a man with wide eyes and a face as white as his lab coat. There was a clipboard clutched in a white-knuckled grip in his left hand and a radio in his right hand. "Are you the man in charge?" Ray asked through the opened window.

"Y-Yes." The man was trembling with fear as he spoke. "P-Please! Do s-something!"

"No problem." Peter casually strolled out of the back of the hearse and leaned with one elbow propped up on the hood of Ecto-1. "Something is what I do best."

Ray refuted Peter's claim as he turned off the engine and climbed out of the hearse calmly. "I thought doing 'nothing' is what you do best?"

"I stand corrected. Something's what I do _second_ best."

"Is the facility on lockdown?" Egon asked professionally as he and Winston joined the other Ghostbusters outside the hearse. "Have all non-essential personnel been evacuated?"

"Yes!" The man struggled to compose himself, but he answered Egon's questions honestly and quickly. "Everyone who needed to be c-cleared from the b-building is safe."

"Good." Egon confirmed as he nodded at Ray, who went to the back of the hearse and pulled open the rear compartment to retrieve the proton packs and the traps.

Winston was helping Ray with the packs when the man suddenly pressed his clipboard up against the marine's chest and began running toward his car and locking himself inside. "Do w-what you h-have to!" The man shouted as he rolled down the window and cowered behind the steering wheel. "I'll be r-right here!"

Peter looked at the man and sighed as he took a proton pack from Ray's hand. "What a hero."

"Come on." Ray motioned for Peter to turn around so he could heft the pack up onto Peter's shoulders. "We still have a job to do."

"We better get paid extra for all the miles we put on Ecto-1's odometer." Peter grunted as the heavy weight of the pack hit him. Adjusting his posture he compensated for the weight and continued on. "Maybe we can tag on a few extra charges to the guy's bill, you know? A charge for fuel, charge for distance, maybe even a charge for-"

"Enough." Egon wasn't in the mood to put up with Peter's attitude. "We'll worry about the bill _after_ we take care of the ghost. Winston, what's on the clipboard?"

"Let's see..." Winston began reading over the front page and flipping through the following pages, scanning for any key words of interest or danger. "All employees that had clocked in for the day have been confirmed evacuated, all the labs inside the facility have been locked down, and... Wait a minute..."

"What is it?" Egon asked as he slipped on his own proton pack.

"According to the records there is a container of a powerful toxin that hasn't been accounted for. And the container should have been secured with the others."

"A toxin?" Egon questioned wisely as he eyed the clipboard over Winston's shoulder.

"Yeah, take a look."

"Very disturbing." Egon stated as he identified the missing toxin.

"I don't like the sound of that." Peter lamented as he and Ray gathered around to look at the clipboard in person. "What makes this toxin so disturbing?"

"The missing container is of acetonitrile."

"...which is?" Peter asked cluelessly.

"It's a chemical used mainly in pharmaceuticals and production of rubber products." Egon explained as Ray took the clipboard for himself. "But it can also be used as an effective pesticide and as a battery fuel."

"Okay, I don't see the disturbing part yet." Peter was still unfazed by the notion of potential danger.

Egon finished the explanation in a cold, scientific manner. "It's also a chemical that once inhaled or ingested acts as cyanide within the body."

"Oh... That _is_ disturbing." Peter admitted as he crossed his arms over his chest. "So we should avoid any containers labeled aceton... acetone... any containers starting with the letter 'A'?"

"...Yes. That would be a wise course of action." Egon wasn't thrilled with Peter's answer but given the circumstances it was the best answer he'd get.

"Says here that a lab technician who was assigned to this chemical was laid-off two wees ago," Ray had found the employee manifest and noted the connections quickly. "and it appears he was let go because of, quote, 'volatile temperament', 'inability to focus on tasks' and, 'overall questionable behavior'."

Peter's inquisitive brow arched. "That's more disturbing."

Winston shook his head in disdain. "Using the term 'questionable behavior' is the by-the-book way of describing a mentally unstable person who has access to sensitive material without having to use the term 'mentally unstable'. And it always seems to end badly."

Ray handed the clipboard back to Winston. "What do you mean?"

"If an employer fires an employee because of any form of mental illness or instability then it's that same employer's responsibility to see that the employee receives proper treatment for their condition. And proper treatment means opening up their greedy wallet and filing a report. Both of which are seen as unwanted acts since one costs money and the other means someone gets called in to investigate."

This time it was Ray who shook his head. "That's sick. Who turns away and ignored someone who needs help?"

"A lot of people, Ray." Winston tossed the clipboard onto the hood of the car. "And it's always these people who call for help for themselves after ignoring others."

Peter snapped his fingers. "Got it! We'll tag on a common decency charge to the bill!"

"Anyway," Egon took the lead on the call. "the missing chemical, disgruntled employee and paranormal activity is potentially connected. It's possible the former employee may have been affected by the ghostly apparition now haunting the facility."

"Don't get possessed. Got it." Peter stated as he powered up his proton pack. "Shall we?"

"Yeah, let's get this done." Winston agreed as he took a trap from the rear of Ecto-1 and slammed the door shut.

Ray and Egon followed behind their two colleagues as the team approached the facility. The door was unlocked and the building was running on emergency power, red lights illuminating the interior hallways in a foreboding hue. The main hallway branched off into a West wing and an East wing. The West wing housed the various research labs and the East wing housed the chemical and equipment storage.

As Peter pushed the front door open Winston stepped through his thrower aimed straight down the lengthy corridor. "Nothing."

"Alright, let's split off into teams of two." Egon instructed as he unclipped the PKE meter from his belt and began scanning the air. "Winston and I will take the West wing."

"Good idea." Ray took his own PKE meter from his belt and began scanning as well. "If we see anything we'll contact you over the radio."

As Egon and Winston slipped down their designated hallway Peter and Ray went down their own. At first the two men walked in silence as they checked each lab they passed, turning the door knobs or pressing down on the handles only to find every door locked. After a brief moment of quiet contemplation Ray finally spoke up.

"So... It seems like you and Spengler are a little short tempered tonight."

"Don't worry about it Ray." Peter tried another handle and walked forward. "Spengz just needs to lighten up a little."

"Uh-huh." Ray recognized that tone and sighed wearily. "You know he doesn't like it when you don't calls seriously. Especially when we're called to hazardous grounds."

"Yeah, yeah." Peter dismissed Ray's words with complete indifference. "When it comes down to it you know I'm as professional as the rest of you."

Ray paused and gave Peter an unsure glance.

Peter, sensing that Ray had stopped walking, turned to look at his colleague and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I'm _almost_ as professional as the rest of you. I just don't like things getting too tense."

"Yeah, we know." Ray continued walking beside Peter as the two reached the end of the corridor and came to a set of double doors leading into the largest room of the facility. The container storage unit. "Just try to ease up on the wisecracks until we get back. Whenever you and Egon get annoyed with each other it's like watching the unstoppable force challenging the immovable object, and it's always me and Winston who get caught in the middle."

"It's not like I _ask_ you to take a side!" Peter defended as he pushed open the double doors and stepped through.

"No, but you do pout until one of us plays the role of peacemaker on your behalf."

"Never been one for emotional responses." Peter callously admitted as he looked around the room for any sign of activity. "It's not my style."

"Yeah, we know." Ray scanned the room and paused midstep when the meter picked up on a spike in the psychokinetic energy levels. "Hold it! We got something."

"Where?"

Ray held the meter up and out at arm's length as he continued to scan the room. "There." Ray pointed in the proper direction. "In the corner."

"Okay, call the others. I'll go check it out." Peter stooped down and walked toward the corner while Ray got on the radio and called Egon and Winston. "Best part of the job..."

The room was filled with delicate computers stationed against each wall. Lining the walls, sealed within metal cabinets with glass windows over the doors. Inside the cabinets were caustic chemicals safely stored away within glass vials and beakers. Above the cabinets were smaller storage racks that were filled with cylindrical metal containers filled with various chemicals, both liquid and aerosol. The red lighting above shone off the metal surfaces of the containers and gave the room a menacing blood color.

A large metallic 'thunk' from the corner of the room made Peter jump. He knelt down on one knee and spotted a smaller room isolated from the rest of the room.

The square structure was made of metal and had a single entrance that could only be opened and closed electronically. The metal door of the entrance was equipped with emergency lockdown mechanisms to support the door and ensure that they could not be opened manually. On one of the walls was a single large pane of bulletproof glass and inside a figure was skulking about. The thickness of the walls, the glass and door assured that the room was air-tight and required special vents to pump breathable air into the room from an exterior source.

"Gotcha'..." Peter crept up on the room and peered inside through the glass. "Or not."

The figure inside was a ghost but a man. The man was busily setting about with a power computer in the center of the room and a lone container set up within a long pipeline leading to an aerosol dispersal unit.

"Ray?" Peter whispered hoping Ray could somehow hear his voice. Unwilling to risk a shout and give away his position Peter knelt down beside the door and called out to Ray as loudly as he dared. "Ray! We're not alone!"

Ray had just barely heard Peter's voice from the distance. Knowing that Peter wasn't the shy type to hear him whispering was all he needed to know that Peter had found something very peculiar, if not dangerous. Walking low Ray joined Peter outside the door of the second room.

"What did you find?" Ray whispered to Peter.

"There's guy inside and I don't think he's on our side."

Thinking quickly Ray scanned the second room and the meter immediately responded to the man who was roaming about inside. "He's the source of the reading. I think Egon's theory about the ghost possessing people is accurate."

"Now all we need is for Egon and Winston to join us. Winston has the trap!"

"They're on their way. I'll go meet them at the door and let them know what's going on."

"Fine. I'll stay here and keep an eye on our guest." Peter volunteered as he craned his neck so he could peek back through the window at the man. "If you hear any high pitched screaming... don't laugh."

Alone with the stranger Peter couldn't help but stare as the man continued to type away at the keyboard of the computer. The pipeline attached to the aerial dispersal unit opened and allowed the container in the man's possession to be inserted inside.

"What are you up to?" Peter wondered out loud to himself.

The man slipped the container inside the pipeline and activated the dispersal sequence on the computer. A red warning light began to flash and a siren began to blare as the computer waited for the final command by the user.

"Uh-oh." Peter stood up quickly and pulled on the door handle to the room. The door opened slowly and loudly with all of Peter's strength as he squeezed inside the room to confront the man. "Hey! Whatever you're doing, stop!"

The man slowly lifted his head and raised his eyes until he had locked onto Peter's eyes. The man's own eyes were glowing a deep amber and his face was an expressionless, pale mask of a former human being. His hands were rigid and cold as he leaned heavily over the keyboard bitterly.

"I don't what you're doing, but you need to stop!" Peter warned as he took his thrower and aimed it at the ghost. "I know that you're possessing this man's body and you need to leave! I don't like the idea of opening fire on a civilian but if that's what it takes to stop you, then so be it."

The man's blank face suddenly twisted into a expression of sick pleasure as his hand slammed down gracelessly onto the keyboard and activated the final sequence. The canister's contents were being expelled inside the pipeline.

"What have you done?" Peter questioned angrily as the light flashed faster and siren increased in volume.

"Revenge." Came a deeper almost guttural growl from the man. Flashing one last grin the man's eyes rolled back in his head and he fell backward on the ground in an unconscious heap as the ghost left his body and floated about him. "Now you die."

At the those words the ghost flew through the wall and disappeared from sight. The ghost was of a deep amber hue with a humanoid shape, complete with two arms and two legs. The face was angry mask of a long dead person, his body draped in a torn and tattered long coat. As it slipped through the wall an amber stain of ethereal slime oozed against the surface.

"Guys?" Peter shouted to his colleagues through the partially opened door. "The ghost is loose! Go after it!"

Crouching down Peter picked up the man's wrist and checked his pulse. Still alive.

"Come on." Peter put his hands under the man's arms and began dragging him toward the door. Pushing the door fully open with one strong kick he stepped out while still dragging the man and propped him up against the wall outside the room. "Wake up. I need your help."

The man groaned in pain but remained unconscious.

"Great. Wish I knew what was happening."

A feminine but robotic voice sounded off from the computer inside the room and caught Peter's ear. ' _Warning. System overload imminent. Core pressure rising_.'

"Okay, that helps." Peter shrugged off his proton pack and made his way back inside the room. Examining the monitor of the computer he read the commands that had been inputted by the ghost and realized what had happened. "Oh... no."

"Venkman?" Egon's voice barely cut above the loud siren as he made his way toward the smaller room. "Venkman talk to me."

"Spengler." Peter's eyes widened with fear. Rushing toward the door Peter pulled it shut and pushed the electronic locks into place, sealing himself inside.

"Venkman?" Egon could see Peter through the window. As he made his way toward the door he spotted the unconscious man and checked his pulse as well. Satisfied that the man was stable he next tried to open the door. Locked. "Venkman let me in."

"Can't do that Spengz." Peter stated firmly and coolly as he checked over the computer. "You were right. The ghost possessed that guy and stole the container that stuff you mentioned earlier. He has it set inside the air dispersal pipe... thing."

Egon felt his heart skip a beat as he realized how dire the situation had become. "Peter let me in! If the acetonitrile becomes airborne it'll poison any living organism within the radius of the blast with cyanide."

"I know." Peter kept calm as he worked on trying to reverse the computer commands. "I'm trying to stop it before-"

"What's wrong?" Egon asked as he moved back to the window from the locked door. "Peter talk to me. What's happening?"

"The ghost disabled automatic safety procedures. If I want to stop the poison from being distributed I need to disable everything manually."

"Can you do it?"

"Yeah. I can do it." Peter confirmed as he set about trying to turn off the pipeline. "But the ghost also rigged the system's core to overheat. If I turn off the pipeline the entire core will blow and the explosion of the facility will... will..."

"...Will be like detonating a bomb. The blast radius would reach the city."

"I have to do this manually Egon."

"Peter let me in! Let me help!"

"No way Spengz," Peter refuted as the mounting pressure inside the core caused a pipe inside the room to burst. "I got this."

"What was that pipe?" Egon couldn't see the label on the side of the pipe through the window. He pounded on the glass but Peter ignored the question and resumed his work. "Peter! The blue pipe near the ceiling burst! What is it!"

"...Air supply." Came the answer in the form of a weak, pained voice. The man had regained consciousness and was standing up on shaking, weak legs. "The blue pipelines supply oxygen into the room."

"Oxygen?" Egon was becoming increasingly alarmed by the situation. "The pipe burst, how much air will Peter have inside the room?"

"The emergency shut off for the oxygen supply is located in a separate area of the facility. If the ghost... or whatever it was that possessed my body, truly disabled all emergency procedures then there is no way to restart the oxygen once the pipeline has been ruptured."

"Wait a moment, the oxygen has been turned off?"

"Yes. The pipes have an internal seal that activates once the interior pressure of the pipe falls. It's used to prevent contamination. A flaw in the design in the event of numerous emergency failures it seems..."

"What can we do?"

"Nothing." The man whispered as he put a hand to his aching head. "Only he can open the door unless the power is restored to the facility."

"How do we-"

"Your friend has to let the core cool before we can restore power. If we try to restore it now the core will overload and explode."

Ray and Winston rushed over the room, the trap was clutched in Winston's hand by the cable indicating that the ghost was successfully captured. The two men could see the worry on Egon's face and peered through the window to see Peter toiling away inside.

"What's going on?" Ray asked in an alarmed tone. "We caught the ghost, why is everything still falling apart?"

"You two need to get him out of here." Egon motioned to the weary man leaning heavily against the wall with one hand. "He'll explain everything on the way out, I'll stay with Peter. See if our client can give us any more details, hurry!"

"O-okay." Ray took the man's arm and wrapped it around his neck. "Take care of Peter, we'll be back!"

"Let's go." Winston took the man's other arm and helped Ray to escort the physically exhausted man out of the facility and to the relative safety of outside the building.

Egon turned his attention back to the window and to Peter who had locked himself away inside the room. "Peter, we're here for you. If you can't figure out what to do-"

"You'll walk me through it." Peter interrupted as he furiously typed away on the keyboard. "Just like college."

Peter was focused solely on the computer monitor as it displayed the rising red gauge warning of the power core's increasing temperature. Next to that gauge was another displaying the percentage of the chemical container inside the pipeline as the liquid chemical was steadily becoming aerosolized gas.

"Half way there..." Peter lamented as he tried and failed to stop the dispersal activation but the ghost had sabotaged or changed the programming. "No use."

"Peter, you tried. If the computer has been tampered with-"

"I can do this Egon." Peter reaffirmed as he stepped back from the computer and looked around the room for inspiration. The temperature began to rise and Peter wiped the beading sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. "I'm not leaving."

"Peter if the explosion can't be stopped we need to get out of here! It's okay to-"

"No way Spengler." Peter coughed once as the air supply in the room began to dwindle. "I can do this. I have an idea."

"What're you..."

Peter returned to the computer and accessed the dispersal pipe commands. Rather than trying to undo the previous commands of the ghost Peter decided to input a new command. Unable to end the process Peter decided to try and alter the process.

From a large internal storage unit that surrounded the main pipeline four round ports opened up for the insertion of smaller canisters. On the opposite side of the room another storage unit opened and revealed a dozen small canisters that were designed to be inserted into the four ports. The containers were divided into three separate categories of chemicals designed to dilute any unstable chemical that had been detected inside the pipeline.

"I can't stop the dispersal." Peter told Egon as he checked the labels on the smaller containers, his words almost panting as the dwindling oxygen supply began to affect him physically. "But I can reduce it."

Egon stared at the containers and knew that Peter was correct. He also knew that Peter was too stubborn to abandon the facility and leave it behind to be destroyed. Nodding in approval he watched as Peter to set work checking each of the canisters.

"I just need to know which chemicals to use." Peter paused and took in as deep a breath as possible to steel himself. "Which is the correct one?"

"What are your options?" Egon asked as he struggled in vain to read the labels from his side of the window.

"Okay, first up..." Peter found the label on the first set of canisters. "we have Ammonium Hydroxide," he moved to the second set. "then second is Sodium Hydroxide and the third is," Peter read the third and final label. "Potassium Hydroxide."

"Use the Sodium Hydroxide." Egon confirmed with a somewhat relieved tone. The proper neutralizing chemical was already located in the room. Peter had a chance! "Carefully insert the canisters one at a time. The computer should tell you the exact volume being administered and the potency of the acetonitrile."

"Right..." Peter picked up the first of the four canisters and lifted it carefully with both hands. Moving at a painfully slow pace he carried the first container to the first port and slid it into place with a meticulously slow pace until it was full inserted. The computer automatically engaged the canister and used the contents to begin diluting the toxic chemical inside the pipeline. "First one down."

"Good work Peter! Keep adding canisters until the pipeline is fully diluted."

"No problem." Peter sighed as he returned the storage cabinet to collect the second canister.

Ray and Winston had rejoined Egon outside the room and watched Peter through the window. Having been informed of the situation by the man they escorted out of the facility neither knew of Peter's actions inside the room.

"Egon?" Winston asked as he stared in awe at Peter diligently working to stop the toxic dispersal.

"Peter's going to prevent the poison from being dispersed throughout the city. But time is running out."

"What can we do?"

"I'm not sure, but gentlemen this might be a prime opportunity to make peace with any higher authority figure you may have faith in."

Ray shuddered at the thought. "How much time does he have?"

The second canister had been inserted and the computer calculated the potency of the acetonitrile still inside the pipeline. It appeared that the poison had been diluted to nearly 50% of its overall potency, the radius in which it would spread and affect the city had been greatly diminished but it still wasn't enough.

A sudden rupture in the pipeline hissed and made the four men jump where they stood. Peter ducked down and coughed once, instinctively pulling his black t-shirt up and out of his jumpsuit to cover his nose and mouth.

"Peter?" Egon could see the small escaping wisps of poison leaking into the room. "The room has been contaminated! You must leave! Without an active oxygen supply the poison will be concentrated and we cannot activate the ventilation system until the core cools down."

Peter ignored Egon. Returning to the third canister Peter repeated the process in hopes of stopping the poison before it was too late.

"Ray, Winston," Egon looked to his two colleagues with wide eyes. "locate the power grid in the Western corridor. Find a way to activate the emergency ventilation system. You may need to manually override the shutdown protocols, but..."

"Don't worry Egon." Winston reassured the physicist as he rushed off toward the power grid at the opposite end of the building. "Stay with Peter!"

"We'll do what we can!" Ray chased after Winston without hesitation. "I'll call for an ambulance, too!"

Egon stared in helpless horror as he watched Peter fearless push through the building poisonous gas that was slowly filling the room. As Peter inserted the third canister he began coughing and hacking. His body began to tremble with the violent spasms, but he managed to catch his breath and steady his hands. After the third canister was in place the pressure in the pipeline increased and the leaking poison began to wisp through faster and denser.

"Venkman..." Egon had mentally calculated the odds of success and the odds were against Peter. "Please. You must leave the room! The poison has been diluted by an incredible amount, the blast radius is can easily be evaded, we still have time to escape! Let me inside and I'll finish inserting the canister."

Peter stood up tall and walked slowly over to the fourth and final canister. He lurched forward, his hands pressing down on the surface of the storage unit as another violent coughing spell struck him mercilessly. "I can handle this..." Peter looked up at Egon through the window, his eyes red and bloodshot from strain and toxin now running through his bloodstream. "Goodbye Egon." Gripping the final canister with both hands he lifted it up and walked slowly, clumsily, toward the pipeline to deliver its contents to the pipeline.

"Peter this is foolish! Open the door!" Egon pleaded as he watched his friend struggling to resist the poison. "Peter! Please!"

The warning lights and siren intensified in its rate of flashing and volume as the pipeline's pressure continued to increase. Peter slipped the fourth canister into place and began to steadily push it down and lock into place. As the final canister's contents were finally administered to the pipeline Peter's strength gave out. Falling forward and collapsing into unconsciousness on the floor, his t-shirt falling away from his face.

The computer finished running the program and the poison inside the pipeline had been fully diluted into a harmless waste of chemicals.

"Peter? Peter!" Egon pounded on the glass with his fist twice before rushing toward the locked door and trying to pull it open. The locks inside were holding fast and could not be opened from the outside. "Peter!"

The power inside the facility pathetically groaned as it failed, bathing the interior in a thick blackness as the red emergency lights finally died. The electronic locks failed and Egon was able to pull the door open. Turning on the flashlight attached the shoulder strap of his proton pack Egon rushed into the room and shine the light on Peter's unconscious form on the floor.

"Peter?" Kneeling down beside his friend Egon pressed his fingers to the side of Peter's neck and found a very faint pulse. Putting his hands on Peter's back and side Egon managed to roll his friend over and laid him flat on his back. "Peter open your eyes!"

Hooking his hands under Peter's arms Egon dragged his friend out of the toxic room and back into the main room of the storage unit. At a safe distance from the lingering poison Egon returned his attention to Peter's vital signs.

Egon placed his hand down on Peter's chest but couldn't feel any breaths entering or exiting his body. Thinking quickly Egon unzipped Peter's jumpsuit and rubbed his knuckles down against Peter's sternum in an attempt to use pain to illicit a conscious response.

Nothing.

"Peter?" Egon patted the sides of Peter's face, desperate to get his friend to wake up and to begin breathing again. "Look at me, Peter!"

Ray and Winston had successfully activated the emergency ventilation system and returned to the storage unit to check in on Peter. As the remaining poison was extracted from the facility the proper lighting engaged and the trio could see Peter's pale face in full illumination.

"Oh no." Ray knelt down beside Peter grabbed onto Peter's hand to check his pulse. "Still alive, but his pulse is weak."

"He's not breathing." Egon stated as he continued to try and rouse Peter from his state of unconsciousness. "And he isn't responding to any outside stimuli."

Winston looked back to the smaller room and rushed over, while holding his breath. "Hold on, I have an idea."

Ray reached out toward Winston and watched worriedly as Winston ventured into the still partially toxic room. From inside the room there was a loud 'clang' as Winston pulled open a small cabinet tucked away in the corner of the room and retrieved an emergency oxygen tank.

Carrying the tank over to Peter and setting it down Winston placed the mask over Peter's nose and mouth while Egon turned on the oxygen. "The man we took out of here told us about an emergency oxygen tank in the event of catastrophic failure."

"Nice thinking Winston." Egon complimented as he put his hand down on Peter's chest again. "Come on Venkman, breathe."

Ray stared with wide eyes as his friend's life continued to slip away with each precious second he failed to breathe. It seemed like an eternity but at long last Peter took in a slow, deep breath and began to cough violently as his lungs attempted expel what poison remained out of his system and take in the much needed oxygen.

"That's it!" Ray's hand tightened around Peter's hand in joyous response. "Just breathe! You'll be okay!"

Egon and Winston simultaneously let out their own breaths as Peter began to revive. From the doorway of the storage room a duo of paramedics entered with a gurney and began tending to Peter.

"Come on." Winston put his hand on Egon's shoulder. "Let's get out of their way."

"Yes. Perhaps we should wait outside."

"You two go." Ray stated as he stood up and stood back as the two paramedics hovered over Peter. "I'll stay here with him."

As Egon and Winston slowly walked out of the storage room Egon kept his eyes glued on the floor as a sense of guilt began to overwhelm him. Not even an hour prior Egon had been scolding Peter and speaking to him in a condescending manner as he falsely assumed that Peter wouldn't take the bust seriously or be responsible. How wrong he was.

Not only did Peter locate the ghost, he saved the man who had been possessed, saved countless other lives from the poisonous attack that the ghost had attempted, and risked his own life in the process.

"I've never seen anything like it." Egon confessed openly as he and Winston stepped outside the facility.

"Peter risking his life for everyone else? Yeah. I know what you mean."

"And I had been unfairly harsh toward his attitude all night long. I feel absolutely horrendous."

"Hey man, that was just Peter being Peter. He loves to push your buttons!"

"I'm aware." Egon put his hands on the hood of Ecto-1 and leaned heavily as he stared at his reflection in the driver's side window of the car. "I should have known that Peter would've been a professional, he always is."

"Take it easy." Winston listened sympathetically to his emotionally pained friend. "We all know that you think highly of Peter. You two have been friends for years, and over time you both and Ray have been the best friends I've ever had. But even the strongest of friendships can get strained from time to time. It's normal."

"In our line of work 'normal' is not a luxury we can afford."

The doors of the facility opened again as the gurney was wheeled out by the two paramedics. Ray was walking beside Peter and watching his friend with keen eyes. As Peter was loaded up into the back of the ambulance Ray told Winston and Egon of Peter's currently assessed condition.

"They think he's contracted chemical pneumonia." Ray stated lowly. "He's going to need extensive breathing treatments and round the clock monitoring for the next seventy-two hours."

"We should get going." Winston nodded toward Egon. "I'll drive."

"Yeah." Ray put his hand on Egon's shoulder before shrugging off his proton pack. "Let's get the packs loaded up and head out."

* * *

It was a quiet drive. Egon was wrapped up in his guilt while Ray was still in shock but trying to put on a brave front. Winston, the experienced marine, had kept his cool throughout the situation and had naturally taken up the burden of the emotional turmoil his friends were experiencing. While it may seem cold or non-empathetic on Winston's part it was the most selfless way for Winston to deal with the emotional upheaval he too felt until he had the time to deal with it in private.

While Peter was being examined by the doctors the remaining three Ghostbusters gathered in the waiting room and sat in silence.

Three hours passed before a doctor arrived to explain Peter's condition and overall prognosis to the patiently waiting trio. Peter had been taken to the Intensive Care Unit and was hooked up to a ventilator to help him breathe. A chest x-ray confirmed the onset of chemical pneumonia and that Peter would require hospitalization for the next few days. A cardiac monitor was keeping track of his heart rate, respirations and blood pressure as his body struggled to fight off the effect of the pneumonia.

A fever had set in as a result of the building fluid and damaged lung tissue. Antibiotics had also been administered but like everything else, it'd take time for Peter's body to respond to the treatment.

After being shown to Peter's room the three Ghostbusters quietly gathered and stayed at their friend's side. "I'll stay here with him." Egon volunteered in a whisper. "You two go back to the firehouse and deal with the ghost."

"We'll go." Winston agreed softly. "But we're also coming back. You're not staying here by yourself."

Ray happily sided with Winston. "Yeah, just give us an hour to get everything in line and we'll be back."

"Thank you." Egon took a seat beside Peter's bed and stared at the monitors attached to his body. "This will be a long night."

* * *

Six long days later Peter was finally discharged from the hospital. Egon, Ray and Winston all readily volunteered to aid their weakened friend during his ongoing, lengthy recovery. While Winston had taken up Peter's share of the daily tasks and chores throughout the firehouse, Ray made sure to check in on Dana Barrett and her son from time to time, just to keep Peter informed on his romantic interest. However it was Egon who had taken a majority of the responsibility toward Peter's recovery for himself.

"Time for your medication." Egon walked over to Peter's bed in the bunk room with a pill bottle in his hand. "These antibiotics seem to be aiding in your recovery very well."

"Yeah." Peter's voice was still hoarse from the respirator and he choked on weak coughs as he put down his book and extended his opened palm. "Except they give me killer headaches."

"Common side effect." Egon confirmed as he dropped two pills into Peter's hand. Pressing his own hand to Peter's forehead he decided it was safe to give Peter something for his head as well. "Your fever is nearly gone. I believe you're strong enough to handle an aspirin."

"Thanks 'mom'." Peter down the two pills and finished them with the last of the water in the glass by his bed.

"I'll bring you some more water." Egon took the empty glass and made his way toward the door. "Peter... The night at the facility, I was being very harsh and judgmental." He turned to face his friend. "I'm sorry that I treated you so poorly."

"Relax Spengz." Peter cleared his throat and picked up his book to resume reading. "I'm used to it."

"That doesn't excuse my behavior."

"There's nothing to excuse." Peter closed his book again. "I know I can be a huge pain in the butt. It's what I live for."

"I still feel terrible."

"Egon, if I hadn't been locked in a room full of poison and everything played out without a problem would you still be feeling terrible?"

Egon didn't know how to answer. He simply bowed his head in deep shame.

"Even though you don't have to apologize I'll accept your apology anyway. And besides, if it was you or Winston or Ray who had been in that poison filled room I know I would've reacted in the same way you did."

"Terrified beyond rational thought?"

"Guilty."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I mean, I know part of the reason you feel bad is because we were at each other's throats that night, but I also know you feel bad because I'm the one who made the choice to stay in the room. You would've made the same choice and since you're the scientist and the most responsible one of the team you feel like you're the one who should've been in there."

"Sometimes I forget that you're a psychologist." Egon smiled a little. "And a very good one at that."

"Thanks." Peter picked up his book and opened it wide. "Now, if you don't mind could you get me that aspirin. And maybe a sandwich?"

"Sure Peter." Egon felt a tremendous, painful weight lift from his shoulders as he and Peter mended fences. Passing through the door Egon finally felt a sense of much needed peace. "Anything you want. Just please don't do anything reckless ever again."

"No promises."

 _ **-The End  
**_


End file.
